The title of this profile piece has nothing to do with the Big East Conference nor two of its member schools, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the St. John's Red Storm. Rather, its about Taylor Johns who is a starting forward for the Sacred Heart Cathedral Fightin' Irish. Johns plays a very physical interior game that would probably disqualify him from ever being canonized to sainthood.
Off the court, Johns is actually quite easy to get along with according to his coach. Fighting Irish Coach Darrell Barbour says, "Taylor is very easy to coach. He is willing to try different things to improve his game. He is very outgoing and likes to have fun with his friends."
At 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, Johns can run 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, can bench press 185 pounds, and squat 235 pounds. As a sophomore, his Fighting Irish finished the season at 14-15 with a one-point playoff loss to El Cerrito. Johns has performed at a high level to earn him the No. 13 ranked player in the NCP 2012 boys basketball rankings.
As a junior starter, Johns has averaged 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists per game as the Fighting Irish are 20-5 and going to challenge for CCS champions and then make a run at state. Johns considers himself to be a power player who is not afraid to throw his body around. But he also likes to slash to the basket and finish strong at the rim.
As a result, he compares himself to former St. Johns Red Storm Ron Artest because of his physical play. Johns cites his leaping and ability to finish at the rim to be his strengths. During the offseason, he works on his ball handling so he can create more shots for himself.
Johns attended Eastside Prep during his freshman year before transferring to Sacred Heart Cathedral as a sophomore. He has been on varsity basketball since his freshman year and has become a full time starter in the current season. In addition, he played on the football team but has decided to give that up to focus on basketball.
Currently, the Portland Pilots is the only program that is in contact. Johns does not care about the geography of his college destination but would like the program to have a strong engineering program as he has a 3.00 GPA and considers Math as his best subject. He would like the basketball program to be run with some level of freedom on the court for the players.
Coach Barbour says, "Taylor strengths are he is a very good athlete and he can play inside or outside. I believe he can play in college, some level of Division I. He will keep getting better because he will spend the time and work on his game."
Johns is physically tough as he played varsity football for two years. But he is also mentally tough as his father passed away when he was young and has had his mother to support him during his upbringing.
This toughness will prove to be handy as Sacred Heart Cathedral looks to challenge for the CCS crown. As the Fighting Irish go deeper into the playoffs, expect Johns to mentally and physically wear down his opponents. These results will likely give this San Francisco treat the opportunity at the next level in 2012.
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